Observations
by okitaco
Summary: It was normal for a manga artist to seek out inspiration. How she ended up doing character observing in Kaijo's basketball team, she didn't know. Kise was her inspiration and whether she knew it or not, she was his motivation. [Kise/OC] [Slight!AU]
1. Branching Out

Chapter 1: Branching Out

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She dropped her head on top of the wooden desk, allowing a tired sigh slip through her lips.

"Just be glad you're done." The red-head beside her patted her back in an attempt to make her feel better. "How about we head over to that cafe nearby after school to make you feel better?" Ai asked.

"I have to start planning for the next manga." Her voice was slightly muffled.

Masa lifted her face up from the desk. It was hard being a manga artist. She had just finished her five volumed Shojo manga series only yesterday. It was only one chapter but Masa was pretty much already dead tired.

"Uwah, sounds tough as always." Ai said, playing with the straw of her juice box. Ai was the only one who knew about Masa's secret life other then her family and the school.

Masa replied with a grunt as she let her head fall back down onto the desk. She turned to face the window just beside her, eyes watching the birds fly past. It had been a while since she last did this. Deadlines and all the final chapter planning took over her whole month before she even knew it.

"What are you thinking about doing this time?" Ai asked, knocking on Masa's desk softly to get her attention.

The artist shrugged her shoulders, brown eyes remaining on the blue sky. "I need to find something to get me started." She answered.

Ai gave a toothy grin, "Ah! Inspiration, right?"

Masa nodded, not even bothering to fix her messy dark brown hair. She wanted to create something new. Masa wanted to branch out to other genres now that she finished her Shojo manga.

Better inspiration would also be needed. The reason her Shojo series came into existence was because of her childish romantic fantasies that got ahead of her in middle school. It was only two years ago but it was still embarrassing.

"Is that Kise Ryouta?!"

Masa snapped back into reality when she heard a loud squeal. The pair turned towards the direction of the hallway to see a tall handsome blond in the middle of a sea of girls.

The brunette blinked, "Who's that?" She kept her eyes on him and watched how he tried to politely escape the horde.

"As expected of the great Usui Nagisa-sensei! You don't know anything about the outside world." Ai let out a teasing chuckle. "He's the new 'ace' of the basketball team. The guy is also a model, how could you not know him?" Ai went on.

Masa turned back to the window, "Sorry for not knowing."

Ai's expression quickly changed into one that looked like she got an idea. "How about after school we watch the basketball team practice?" She asked with her usual grin.

Masa shook her head, "Didn't I say I have to start planning for the next series?"

Ai chuckled, waving her index finger in front of the brunette's face with a scheming smile. "It's character observation, Usui-sensei!"

"I don't—"

"Didn't you say you usually create characters before the actual storyline?" Ai continued.

"Well, yeah but—"

"Then it's settled!" Ai nodded proudly before dashing to the other side of the classroom as the teacher walked in.

Masa sighed.

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From what she saw earlier, Masa knew that Kise guy was popular but she didn't know he was so popular that he got girls from every year watching him on the sidelines. Masa stood idly far away from the group of girls and flinched when one of the older females glare at her for no reason.

"Masa, over here!" Ai called from the side. She was waving her hand in the air and there stood her Japanese history teacher, Takeuchi Genta beside the red-head.

Masa hesitantly jogged over to the pair and was greeted with a pat on the back from Ai. She grinned, "Takeuchi-sensei agreed on letting you watch the Kaijo team from the benches."

Weren't the benches out of boundaries for normal students?

"You're checking out the team for the new series, right?" The coach asked. Masa quickly nodded.

"It would boost up the team's confidence and reputation if they knew they inspired a manga series." He commented before motioning for the artist to follow him into the gym.

Masa looked back to see Ai waving from the outside. "Why isn't Ai coming?" She asked the man.

"I don't want too many distractions." He grunted before calling all the team members to come to him.

Masa felt nervous all of a sudden. It was true she was out to get characters but it was also the first time that so many people were going to be told her secret. The brunette didn't mind them knowing as long as they didn't tell anyone else.

When the team gathered, almost instantly all eyes went to the petite girl standing beside their coach. Masa kept her gaze towards the floor and decided unnecessary eye contact would just make her feel even worse.

"First off, this will be kept a secret no matter what. Anyone who tells others outside the club will be booted." The coach stated.

Great, now if someone got kicked out she was responsible.

The members looked at each other before agreeing to Takeuchi.

The coach placed a hand on Masa's shoulder, "Alright, introduce yourself." He said.

"I-I'm Shintani Masa," The brunette bowed and looked up at the team nervously before continuing, "I'm also known as Usui Nagisa."

Instantly, the team went restless and begun whispering to themselves. Masa noticed some had red tints on their faces while some had expressions of shock.

"Isn't Usui Nagisa a manga artist?" A first year asked.

Takeuchi nodded, "That's right but her true identity is Shintani. Don't tell anyone about it."

Another player stepped up and faced the coach. He had short, spiky black hair and blue eyes. "What does a manga artist want with the team?" He asked, completely turning his back on her.

Masa gulped. Was she already hated?

"She's creating a new series and wants to make characters inspired by you guys." Just when Takeuchi finished answering the whole team exploded in excited whispers and chatter.

"Eh~! That sounds fun!"

Masa turned to the direction of the voice and saw the same guy who was in the hallway earlier. He sent her a polite smile as his yellow eyes were full of life.

"It's always guys like you that get all the fame. _Che._" Another voice appeared. This time it was a pretty handsome guy. He elbowed Kise out of the way before kneeling in front of Masa as if he was a prince.

"Moriyama Yoshitaka at your service. I'll always play for you so keep your eyes on me, cutie pie." Moriyama shamelessly announced.

Masa nervously chuckled, slightly stepping back from the kneeling upperclassman. "A-Ahaha, sure?"

Moriyama jumped back up onto his two feet, eyes brimming with light. Masa could have sworn she saw hearts for a second.

"Did you see that?! She actually said sure!" He turned to the other players excitedly. Masa jolted a bit when she saw Moriyama get kicked to the side.

"Idiot! She was obviously awkward!" The kicker growled. Masa actually felt relief when she saw Moriyama get kicked away. Moriyama was making her feel completely awkward.

"K-Kasamatsu, nice kick but nothing stands between our love!" Moriyama yelled before receiving a basketball to the face.

Kasamatsu shook his head, irritation covering his whole being. Masa stepped back one more time to make sure she wouldn't get caught in the conflict.

"You're a first year too, right?"

The brunette turned to find Kise right in front of her. She felt her cheeks heat up a bit when she looked at his face. Now that she was close, Masa could really tell why girls loved him so much. The guy was handsome that's for sure.

Masa nodded. Kise grinned happily, "That's great! Let's get along from here on out okay, Shintanicchi!"

She blinked, "S-Shintanicchi?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Oi, Kise! Step away from the cutie!" Moriyama was back on his feet again.

"Like I said, who the hell are you calling cutie?!" Kasamatsu cracked his knuckles.

Masa couldn't help but smile softly. She could feel her heart race. It was the same feeling she got when she first started on her Shojo manga. It was that feeling of inspiration she had forgot about.

Kise joined in the argument only to also get knocked down by Kasamatsu. Masa watched the scene unfold before grabbing her phone and texting her editor,

'_How about a Shonen manga?'_

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**A/N: im doing it again. starting another story when i havent finished a single one but thats cools yeah**

**this time its actually not a harem wow**

**its just kise bby.**

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**REVIEWS ARE SEXY.**

**LONG REVIEWS ARE SEXIER.**

**DO IT FOR KISE AND MORIYAMA (lol moriyama)**


	2. Catching Fevers

Replies:

**NeitherSaneNorInsane- **omg yes another fanfic from me. shield your eyes and gasp because i don't think this is as funny as my other fics. glad you liking Masa. she's so different from my other KnB OCs. all my other OCs are just weird. oh, ur review is counted as sexy since it made my heart go dokidoki because it was the first review.

**Guest- **awesome, i'm glad you liking the idea.

**Anya Ishikawa-** thanks for calling this story sexy. thanks for the compliments and sorry about the short chapter. I'm planning on making it like that so i can update more frequently. the next chapter had come pretty quick if i do say so myself.

**InnocentSerenade- **your review was already long enough to be counted as sexy. yeah I'm planning on more 'Usui-sensei' stuff but nothing has really come into my head so far. Ohh, i love skip beat too! I just re-read the last chapter of beauty pop again and omggg the twins they so kawaii man

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Chapter 2: Catching Fevers

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Masa was in a good mood. Her editor had just agreed on the Shonen manga idea and it was decided that Masa would be working for the company's Shonen manga magazine.

She ignored the glares sent to her by Kise's fangirls and just walked straight into the gym.

"Ah, Shintani-san, good afternoon!" A player greeted.

She nodded at him in response before taking out her sketch book and taking a seat on the bench. Her brown eyes watched as Kise waved at the girls and then get slaughtered by Kasamatsu for doing so.

Masa tapped the pencil on her paper.

Maybe the main character should be blond? No, wait. Then he would seem like a delinquent. If she gave him a flirty personality then she was pretty sure the editorial team would disagree on it.

"Okay, let's start!"

Her attention went back on the court as soon as they started practicing. Masa made sure to watch how each player moved in hopes of getting struck by an idea, but sadly nothing came.

That was until Kise got the ball. Her eyes widened slightly as the teen dashed forward, dodging his opponents skillfully before dunking the ball with ease.

Masa blinked. How did he score so fast when it was just the start?

She looked back down at her sketch book.

"Shintanicchi!" Kise called her. Masa looked back up to see the blond frantically waving an arm around in the air to get her attention. "Did you see my dunk?!" He asked.

Masa didn't know what to say. She couldn't really say she was watching him the whole time and was thinking of making a blond character inspired by him for her manga.

"S-Sorry, I was busy looking…" She just had to start with that. Masa whipped her head around to find any familiar people.

"I was too busy looking at Moriyama-senpai!" Masa answered in a panic.

Moriyama tripped over nothing the moment he heard what she said. Everyone in the gym gasped. Masa internally gasped when she realized what just came out of her mouth.

The upperclassman slowly pushed himself up, eyes in complete shock. Masa stood up and waved her hands around in front of her nervously,

"A-Ahaha, s-sorry! I-If you didn't want—"

"KISE, DID YOU HEAR THAT?!" Moriyama yelled, a smug expression on his face.

"Waah, Moriyama-senpai! You're so lucky!" Kise replied back, envious.

"Idiots! She's only watching for her manga! Don't get ahead of yourself!" Kasamatsu stomped on Moriyama's back.

Masa chuckled at the scene. Making a basketball manga was fine according to the editorial department but she really needed to get started on creating some characters.

"Sorry for all the ruckus. It must be hard working in a loud environment like this one." Kobori walked over with an apologizing smile. Masa had learnt everyone's names the other day when they were all introducing themselves.

She shook her head, "It's fine. It's better like this so I can see everyone's personalities clearer."

"YEAAAAH I'M FIRED UP! SHINTANI-SAN!" Hayakawa yelled as he ran up to her.

Masa jumped a bit in surprise from his loud voice. "Y-Yeah?"

"DID (YOU) MAKE THE (CHARACTERS) YET?!" He asked loudly.

"…"

"…_**What?**_"

No one knew what the guy was on about.

Masa decided to take a guess. "Are you talking about the characters?" She asked, not really sure if she was right. Hayakawa nodded. Lucky guess.

This time all eyes were on her. Masa quickly picked up her sketch book, "I-I was sketching some but I haven't really decided on any just yet…"

Kise took the book out of her hands and begun flipping through it, the rest of the regulars behind him. His face was covered in admiration, "Shintanicchi, you're so good!"

"Yeah, Kise's right for a change." Kobori nodded.

"Uwah! Senpai, that's mean!"

Masa rubbed the back of her neck, face flushed. It had been a while since someone last complimented her about her drawings. After some chatter, the blond handed the book back with a polite smile before getting ordered to practice by Kasamatsu, who for some reason had a red face.

She didn't know why he turned red when he looked at her but Masa knew her attention had to go back on the character designs.

"Blond hair is fine…" The brunette quietly muttered to herself as she begun sketching. Masa drew a boy with messy blond hair, opposite to Kise's hairstyle. She drew his eyes slightly bigger then she usually does for boys and gave him a smirk.

The girl stared at the drawing for a while before hanging her head down. "Why is it that no matter what I do he turns into a delinquent?" She asked herself with a shake of her head.

Masa looked up back at the team and noticed a huge blush on Kasamatsu's face as Moriyama tried to push him into talking to the girls outside. Obviously, the plan failed and the flirt ended up with a huge bump on his head.

She tilted her head to the side, "A shy guy and a flirt?" Masa watched silently as Moriyama died in the hands of the captain.

Masa turned back to her drawing and grinned. She quickly drew the rest of his body, giving him a messy uniform look and decided to change his hair color plan into red.

When she was done, the character was now a really handsome guy who looked pretty gaudy. His school uniform included a blazer and a red hoodie underneath it that went well with his red hair.

Masa scribbled down some details on the side.

_1. Kind of a tsundere._

_2. He flirts with girls but then gets embarrassed about what he says afterwards._

_3. Surprisingly has talent when it comes to basketball and is forced the join the team._

_4. He sucks at every subject besides P.E._

She scratched her head with her pencil. All she needed was a name as she was done with the main protagonist.

"Shintanicchi, you've been staring at your sketch book for a while now. Is there anything wrong?" Kise jogged up to her with his usual model smile.

"Actually… I don't have a name for the character I'm thinking of using." Masa admitted.

Kise's face brightened up, "Then use my name!"

"Kise?"

"I mean my first name!"

Masa never thought of that. Kise's first name was Ryouta, right? It wasn't uncommon so there wouldn't be any problem with using it. Masa turned back to the piece of paper on her lap. He did look like a 'Ryouta'.

Masa turned back up to meet yellow eyes. "Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yeah! Knowing that a character was named after me makes me feel super motivated to do my best!" Kise grinned.

Masa couldn't help but smile back at the teen's happiness. She brought her pencil back to her paper and wrote out the name 'Ryouta' as the heading.

"Awesome, thanks for letting me use your name!" Masa smile brightened up even more. She quickly stood up and packed her things, "I'm going to work on some more designs so I'll have to leave early."

The brunette excused herself before running out of the gym in an excited hurry. Kise however didn't move a muscle. The smile on her face when she thanked him caught the blond by surprise.

He felt his cheeks heat up slightly before he shook his head and returned to the court.

"Am I catching a fever?"

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**A/N: this chapters name is so like not what the chapter is it's like trololol.**

**ahnn ive updated when i just published it yesterday wooP**

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**REVIEWS ARE SEXY.**

**LONG REVIEWS ARE SEXIER.**

**DO IT FOR KISE AND MORIYAMA. **


	3. Finding Her

Replies:

**BlueCross03- **I'm glad you're liking Masa! Yeah, you're right about doing anything for her work alright xD lol and kise is just being kise I guess and just didn't realize he blushed ahah

**NeitherSaneNorInsane- **yeahhh kise being kise is like stupidity man but we all love him cause how can we not? You're totally right about the personality compatibility for sure because having kise fall in love with a female kise isn't fun at all ! D: from everything that's written it's rather obvious I have a spot in my heart for Moriyama… lol even if it's just a bit.

**cloudinwonderland- **OMG YOUR CAPITALS xDD I also enjoyed how Kasamatsu was all BAM and Moriyama was all BOOM. :D I'm glad they're in character because I kept thinking how much I felt like they weren't… D:

**InnocentSerenade- **omg you're going to try to write a sexier review? Good luck that's going to be hard since all your previous ones have been pretty sexy man. I'm trying to update this as frequently as I can because it's fun to write :D

**Libellen- **yaaaay everyone's fitting in the story, I'm so happy/proud ! :D you won't believe how many doubts I've had seriously. Lololol yuup Masa's drawing skills turns any blond character into a delinquent ! Ahaha.

**HikaruluvsRoses- **yes I am so proud of making an OC that created an OC. Like, I've never really read that in another fic before ;D ooh, thank you very much for the compliments. It took me a while to create the other 'Ryouta' actually, I accidently spent almost half an hour in the shower when I was thinking about it. Aahaha, thanks for your sexy review and I hope you continue to enjoy this fanfic!

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Chapter 3: Finding Her

* * *

Masa gripped onto the magazine. She held her breath in as she flipped the pages, heading straight to the manga rankings. Closing her eyes, Masa took a deep breath before scanning the sheet.

Her editor, Suzuki broke into a grin.

The brunette froze when she found her penname. It was written write next to rank seven and partnered up with the title of her new manga, 'Next Stage!'. Masa broke into a bright smile as a wave of happiness ran through her body.

"What did I tell ya? It was a success! Everyone's impressed with the protagonist especially." Suzuki commented, popping her elbow onto the table and leaning her chin onto the palm of her hand. Masa felt her cheeks heat up from the compliment.

"I wouldn't have been able to create him on my own." She admitted sheepishly.

"Eh~? Where exactly did you get the idea of creating a basketball manga?" Suzuki asked with a grin.

Masa rubbed the back of her neck after placing the magazine down onto her desk. "M-My school's basketball team…" She answered with a small blush.

"Is that so? Do they have a manager?" Suzuki questioned.

"I don't think so." Masa didn't see any other females around beside Kise's fans.

Suzuki slightly frown before sighing, "It would be a good idea to put a potential love interest for 'Kishimoto Ryouta'."

Masa got what she meant. Creating a manager that was also someone who would fall in love with 'Ryouta' would make the story a little more dramatic and romantic. It would be a nice touch to her Shonen manga but Masa couldn't help but think it was a tiny bit overused.

"The manager can't be shy, annoying or for some reason amazingly beautiful." Suzuki stated, waving her hand around. The editor's face scrunched up a bit in disgust as if she were remembering terrible memories.

"S-Sure…" Masa nodded carefully.

Suzuki pulled out some papers out of her bag. "Here's some notes and ideas I got for you. All of them were kindly offered from the rest of the Shonen editors." Suzuki smiled.

Masa took the sheets, bowing her head in apology after she scanned them. "I'm sorry for all the trouble… Suzuki-san, you even transferred magazines because of my selfishness."

The woman frowned before placing her hand on top of Masa's head roughly. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't too much trouble, and when I heard you wanted to do a Shonen series it got me excited that I didn't wanna hand you over to anyone else!"

The teen looked up to see a friendly grin dancing on Suzuki's lips as she messed up her hair. Suzuki gave one last ruffle before grabbing her bag and heading straight to the door.

"Oh, but if you want to make it up to me… Make this the best manga in the whole magazine! If you need anything don't hesitate to call me, Usui-sensei." Suzuki said as she closed the door.

Masa blinked a couple of times and without her even knowing, a small smile crawled it's way onto her lips. She was really lucky to have Suzuki as her editor. The brunette turned back to the manga magazine, a frown replacing her smile.

She picked it up and flipped over to 'Next Stage'. Her protagonist was well-received but it was only chapter one so not that many significant characters had appeared. It was time that she got the other characters done or else she'll end up missing her deadline which wasn't anything new. Being a student was hard enough but with the stressful life as a manga artist made it worse.

Masa shut the magazine. She hated causing trouble for others but in this case it was necessary.

She had to visit the Kaijo basketball team again.

—

"Manager?'" Kise repeated, bouncing a basketball at the same time. "Ah, we don't have any. Oh! Shintanicchi are you interested in being the manager!?" He asked excitedly.

"S-Sorry, I can't. I am pretty busy so…"

Kise pouted in defeat, "I really thought you wanted to be the manager…"

She gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Kise-kun,"

Masa really didn't mind helping the basketball team out if they needed a manager but with her manga and the deadlines she knew it was impossible. She was just too busy.

"Actually, Kise-kun… I needed your help in something." She began.

The blond's face lit up, "Really?! What do you need help with, Shintanicchi?!"

Masa looked over towards Kasamatsu's direction. "I wanted to know why Kasamatsu-senpai avoids looking at me and talking."

Through the whole course of the three weeks she had been visiting, the upperclassmen never looked at her straight in the eye and avoided talking to her at all. Naturally, this got the poor girl worried she had done something wrong.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about Kasamatsu-senpai!" Kise grinned, turning his head back to look at the captain. The blond smiled as he turned back to Masa, "He's just really shy when it comes to girls. He freezes up and turns into a stuttering robot!"

The brunette widened her eyes in surprise. When she saw Kasamatsu blushing before she thought it was because Moriyama wanted him to do something embarrassing in front of the girls. She had no idea it was _because_ they were girls he was acting like that.

"Ah, Shintanicchi, I have to get back to practice now."

"Oh, sorry for holding you up."

She watched as the model flashed her one more smile before running off to join his team mates and get scolded by Kasamatsu for taking too long.

Masa already used Kasamatsu's embarrassed side as a part of 'Ryouta' so she couldn't use the same element on the manager. Suzuki also had something against Tsundere girls so that wouldn't really work either.

That was when she remembered the kick that Moriyama and Kise were often killed with. Masa thought about it for quite a bit as she stood on the sidelines staring at the game in front of her.

The artist grabbed a pencil and flipped open her sketch book. Quickly, she drew a slim girl with black medium length hair and a scowl on her face. Masa drew a long skirt that reached her ankles and the same blazer 'Ryouta' had.

She jotted some notes down,

_Delinquent and the 'muscle' out of all the characters._

_She becomes the manager after getting blackmailed about being a closet otaku. (Ryouta blackmailed her.)_

_She tends to be violent and strict._

_Most students are afraid of her._

With a proud smile, Masa looked back up at the team. As usual, they were doing their best and working their butts off. Her brown eyes landed on Kasamatsu for a bit and she watched just how focused he was in the game even though it was only a training one.

_'Kasamatsu… Kasa… Kana…?' _Masa thought before writing down the name 'Kana' above the drawing.

Suddenly, she froze. Her thoughts surrounded her as she was thinking about her newly created heroine.

_'W-Wait… If 'Kana' is Kasamatsu-senpai and 'Ryouta' is Kise-kun… The manager is going to end up with the player…' _

Masa felt her cheeks go warm and she knew she was blushing. Without even knowing, she ended up making Kasamatsu Kise's love interest in a way. Masa shook her head frantically, kicking her thoughts out of her mind.

"L-Let's just hope no one finds out…" She mummbled, completely flushed.

"Shintanicchi?"

"Y-Yes?!" The brunette met yellow eyes.

"I was wondering if you wanted to check out a high school with me? You could take photos for your manga~!" Kise offered.

Masa did need some scenery and background references. She put her sketch book to the side.

"Which school?" She asked.

"Seirin High~!" Kise exclaimed happily. He looked as if the only thing that could make him happy was there.

Masa nodded, "If it's fine with you. It'll really help for the manga."

Kise grinned and took the girl's hands into his own, leaning down and minimizing the distance between their faces. Masa blushed at how close they were and Kise seemed too distracted about the idea of going to Seirin.

"Great! Then you'll get to meet Kurokocchi and the new school buildings!" He went on.

"K-Kise-kun, y-you're a l-little too close…" She stepped back, hoping her blush wasn't so obvious.

It seemed like Kise didn't hear a single thing that came out of her mouth because all his did was keep talking about some person he called 'Kurokocchi'. In the midst of his gushing, Masa's hands managed to escape his grasp and place her sketch book back into her bag.

"So, when are we going?" She questioned.

Kise snapped out of his talk, "Eh? We're going now~!" He announced.

Masa gaped. She was pretty sure Seirin High was pretty far from Kaijo and it would take a while getting there.

"Isn't it far from here though?!"

Kise shook his head before sending another grin her way, "Shintanicchi, there's no problem about it! You need a break too so let's go!"

Masa couldn't actually believe she was going to travel to Seirin. She had just finished creating a character and would need to send in some designs to her editor soon.

"Okay, let's go~!"

She felt a hand grab her wrist and when she looked up again it was Kise but this time was in his normal uniform. How did he manage to go all the way to boy's locker room and change so fast?

Kise practically dragged her out of the gym and even out of the school grounds.

Masa was going to go to Seirin whether she liked it or not.

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**A/N: short chapters so I can update more frequently kids.**

**Ohhh, the 'her' in the chapter name is referring to 'Kana' so yeah if you're wondering**

**As always thanks for the follows, faves and reviews i've been getting.**

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**REVIEWS ARE SEXY.**

**LONG REVIEWS ARE SEXIER.**

**DO IT FOR THE KUROKOCCHI-LOVER KISE.**


	4. Shaking Hands

Replies:

**animegleek- **Yes, I am glad that you're getting super curious. Get even more curious as the story goes, child.

**cloudsinwonderland- **omg do you know how excited I was because Izuki is there and im dying really.

**Innocent Serenade- **yes the invisible kid is going to appear :D yup I was thinking with Kasamatsu he as a girl would be a pretty entertaining manager xD. Wooowwwwww, ur review was all BAM wasn't it? And the lemon isn't really something im planning on putting it in the story cause I'll honestly die if I do from my feels. /

**HikaruluvsRoses-** yup more Ocs creating Ocs. Omg I totally wish I could create my own manga but my skills in drawing aren't that good as an actually artist.

**Fairy Skull- **thanks for your support ;D

**sanfranbrod- **The whole beautiful manager thing is totally true and with the assistants I already got the Ocs made beforehand so yupp~ Gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun is a series that inspired tons of my other comedy fics so im pretty aware of it ;D aha, thanks for reviewing!

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Chapter 4: Shaking Hands

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"A-Are you sure we can just walk in?"

"No problem, no problem!"

Kise pulled her by the elbow towards the Seirin gym. He had an excited smile on his face but the girl beside him supported a nervous expression on her face. Masa didn't have the heart to tell him she didn't want to go since she got a message from Suzuki on the way. Her editor decided to fax her a list of potential assistants just when she was on the way to the new high school.

"We're actually going to have a practice match against Seirin!" Kise informed the girl excitedly.

Before she could say anything, someone knocked her over to the side and a group of girls surrounded the blond model. Masa watched in amazement as Kise dealt with his screaming fans. Actually being known was a whole different level.

The group seemed to follow the teen all the way inside the gym and even when Kise decided to sit on top of the stage they didn't waver.

Masa just stood at the door awkwardly, trying her best to ignore glares sent her way.

"Isn't that…?"

The brunette turned to one of the players on the court to see the whole team staring at Kise. The blond was signing autographs and after realizing he caught the team's attention he told his fans he'll be back. Not wanting to disappoint him, the girls all left but not forgetting to shoot some more mean looks Masa's way.

The girl shivered a bit.

"What are you doing here?" Someone asked.

Kise walked over to group with a smile, "When I heard that Seirin was our opponent, I remembered Kurokocchi came here, so I thought I'd say hi!"

_'Well, that explains why he wanted to come.' _Masa thought, crossing her arms over chest. _'But Kise-kun did say Kurokocchi, right? Does he add 'cchi' at the end of every name?' _She wondered, eyes watching the scene in front of her.

"We were best friends back in middle school!"

"Not more then anyone else." A monotone voice replied.

Masa blinked a couple of times at the new voice. She noticed a blue haired teen standing amongst the Seirin basketball team. The brunette could have sworn he wasn't there a second ago.

Kise sobbed before realizing he forgot a certain artist through all the commotion. He turned to the side of the gym and flailed his arm around in the air. "Shintanicchi! You can come over here!" The blond yelled.

Masa couldn't help but feel nervous when all the attention in the gym went to her. She walked over stiffly to the group and stood by her classmate.

"S-Shintani Masa, pleasure to meet you…" She introduced herself with a bow.

"Kuroko Tetsuya, it's a pleasure." It was the same voice she heard.

The artist straightened up to meet pale blue eyes. She let out a yelp in surprise before shaking the hand he offered her. "S-Sorry about that." Masa apologized.

"Don't worry about it." Kuroko said.

A teen with glasses stepped forward, "Are you his girlfriend or something?"

Masa felt her cheeks heat up before frantically shaking her head. Kise on the other hand only chuckled.

"Amazing… Look at the length of this article." A male said, holding onto a magazine.

"Even though he started playing basketball in his second year of middle school, his exceptional physical ability and skill got him in the Teiko middle school team as a regular almost straight away. Although he has less experience as the other four, he's an all-rounder that keeps on improving." He read out.

"Ah, that article is pretty exaggerated. I'm not as good as the other four and Kurokocchi and I would always get bullied for it." Kise replied.

"That never happened to me."

"What?! So it was only me?!" The blond cried.

Masa turned to look at Kise before her eyes widened at the fact a ball was making it's way right towards him. She instinctively jumped behind the male only to have him catch the basketball with one hand.

"Oww… That hurt and you almost hit Shintanicchi!" Kise growled lightly at a fierce red-head.

"Sorry to interrupt your reunion but why don't you play a game with me, pretty boy?" The male smirked.

The blond shrugged his shoulders with a small grin before turning back to Masa. "Shintanicchi this won't take long, alright?" He smiled brightly.

The brunette nodded hesitantly, "U-Uh, sure…"

After a couple of words from Kise and his challenger and the game started. The two looked amazing as time went on. Kise grabbed the ball and dribbled it down the court as the red-head, Kagami Taiga, played defense.

Suddenly, the blond spun around a couple of times before effortlessly dunking the ball into the basket. Everyone was speechless and Masa could hear some whispers and comments leaving the Seirin team.

"Kise-kun has the ability to copy and improve someone else's technique after only seeing it once." Kuroko informed.

Even Masa was surprised since she didn't know that despite staying around the basketball team for a while.

Eventually, Kise ended up winning and ushered Masa outside the gym. "Just wait for me outside Shintanicchi. I'll be out in a bit, okay~?" He told her with a genuine smile.

Masa, confused only nodded and decided to wait outside of the gym. She quietly hummed as she waited and quickly stopped when Kise popped out of the entrance.

He pointed at the Seirin gates, "Let's get going now, Shintanicchi!"

"Was everything okay back there?" Masa walked next to him.

Kise nodded enthusiastically, "Yup~!"

As the two walked out of the school they ended up strolling down a crowded street. Kise ducked his head down in an attempt to not get recognized, which was somehow successful. The blond's pace increased and Masa found it harder to keep up because of the large crowds.

Masa couldn't lose the teen since he was the one holding onto their tickets so she did her best to try to stay close to him. She muttered some apologies as she tried to weave through the groups of people, eyes focused on Kise's back so she wouldn't lose him.

Then, she felt herself get pushed back further away from him when she got stuck in a huge hoard of strangers heading one way. Masa quickly jumped out before trying to reach out to the blond, hand only managing to grip onto the end of his blazer.

Kise turned to look behind him and found a rather tired looking Masa. A worried expression danced on his handsome face, "Are you okay, Shintanicchi?"

"S-Sorry, I can't really keep up." She admitted with a pant.

"Then, just hold on tight."

"Eh?"

"It wouldn't be good if you got lost. Just hold onto me." Kise placed a warm hand on top of the one holding his blazer.

Masa blinked a couple of times and found her brown eyes widening at the bright smile that was on Kise's face. He looked back to the front and continued to walk. Masa found herself suddenly interested in the ground.

The brunette's cheeks burned. She shook her head.

Maybe he was just this kind to everyone he knew.

* * *

**A/N: OH DEAR. THIS WAS OVERDUE. SORRY I WAS TO BUSY ON MY READER-INSERTS. IM GONNA UPDATE WHAT A LUCKY STRIKE FIRST.**

* * *

**REVIEWS ARE SEXY.**

**LONGER REVIEWS ARE SEXIER.**

**DO IT FOR THE KISE BLAZER.**


	5. Meeting Him

Replies:

**NeitherSaneNorInsane-** yes omg they really do mirror! Yeah now that you've said it Masa really is a weird mix between those two. I did it without even realizing, huh.

**animegleek- **Yes! Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is most definitely the funniest manga around! ^^ omg ur almost 20 im younger then you but everyone is a child on the inside so I shall continue to call you child, child.

**InnocentSerenade- **it seems everyone wants the blazer, mmhmm. Yeah she always seems to be shocked when it comes to Kise's skills. Lol maybe because she doesn't go out much? Ahaha!

**LeoInuyuka- **Understandable.

** - **yeah im thinking of making her interact more with them but I kind of don't know how yet.

**Chocogirl24- **Thank you very much!

**eguzman- **ahah, my 'sexy review' thing has really become my signature now hasn't it? Yeah, I wanted to write something different then the usual manager thing because I have written a series like that (what a lucky strike). And thanks a lot for enjoying all my work! :D

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Chapter 5: Meeting Him

* * *

Masa never really ate at fast food joints. Suzuki would often scold her for it if she found out, saying that the food was unhealthy for an artist's body or something. Usually, she would stick by this but she was way too hungry to be worrying over something like that. And it was just this one time so it wouldn't hurt, right?

She stepped into the building and quickly shuffled to get into the line. She stared at the upper menu board and decided she would order a small burger and fries to ease her stomach. When she reached the front she gave the employee her order and waited a couple of minutes until they handed her the tray with her meal on it.

Brown eyes scanned the area for an empty spot and found a nice spot right next to the window. Masa placed the tray down on the table but as soon as she looked up, she jumped in surprise after realizing a familiar blue haired teen already sitting at the table, sipping a milkshake.

"S-Sorry!" She moved to pick up her tray, embarrassed she didn't see him there.

"It's alright. I'm quite used to it." He answered before motioning for her to take a seat across from him.

Masa took his kind invitation and sat herself down in front of him. She only met the guy yesterday but for some reason felt very comfortable hanging around him. That was pretty rare since it often takes her a while to get used to someone.

"Are you the manager for the Kaijo team, Shintani-san?" Kuroko asked.

Masa didn't know how to respond and just let out a nervous laugh, "A-Ah, I'm around for v-various reasons…"

Kuroko stared at her. He looked like he knew something was up. Masa sucked in some more air.

"Alright, then." Kuroko said and returned back to his milkshake.

Masa picked up her burger, nibbling on it as quiet but comfortable atmosphere surrounded them. It was peaceful and she quite enjoyed. Kuroko was really different from Kise in terms of personality. It made her wonder how the two became friends.

Small chatter was exchanged between the two and before they knew it, it was already late and the sky began to get dark. The two stood up and made their way to the exit.

"I'll be leaving then." Masa bowed and Kuroko returned the bow.

"Kise-kun might trouble you a lot but please take care of him." Kuroko said.

This caught her by surprise. She was not expecting the teen to tell her that. Kuroko and Kise looked so awkward the other day so she assumed that they were not so close.

Hesitantly nodding, Masa walked away from him and went down the route to her home. She had to go home early since she was meeting with a new assistant. Her previous ones had decided to stay in the same Shoujo department so farewells had happened when she decided to work on her new Shonen manga.

Suzuki told her that the new assistant was really talented and enjoyed her previous series. Masa was glad she finally got an assistant. Her one shot was created by herself due to the fact that the department wanted to see if the story was worth the extra help. Now that it was confirmed to begin it's serialisation they decided to completely give all the support necessary.

In other words, it was a huge relief for Usui-sensei. So, when she reached home, Masa quickly greeted her parents and ran up to her room, saying hello to her sister along the way. Meiji caught her before she went into her room.

"Masa, I heard you met Kise Ryouta." Meiji smirked at her and Masa didn't really know why.

"Ah, he goes to my school and is a member of the basketball team." Masa kindly informed in which her sister only replied with a roll of her eyes.

"I know that. When you told me that you were going to be observing the team for manga ideas I didn't expect you two to become… friends." Meiji said, tapping her finger against her chin. Her eyes were sparkling in curiosity and that wasn't a good thing.

Her elder sister was somewhat of a trouble maker. Her parents often told her about Meiji's delinquent days back when she was in middle school all the way up until her second year of high school. Now, she's attending a university studying architecture while her boyfriend studied law.

"Ah, Natsu will cry when he hears about this." Meiji said as she pulled out her phone to send her boyfriend a text. Masa chuckled at the idea.

Natsu was the name of her sister's boyfriend. They had been going out since their first year of high school and now the two were at the age of twenty two. Masa really enjoyed having Natsu around. He was like another older brother. A protective one that is.

"I thought Natsu-nii was coming today?" Masa asked, noticing how he wasn't present.

"His younger brother caught a cold." Meiji replied, eyes still glued onto her device's screen.

Masa nodded and went back to opening her bedroom door. Meiji noticed and looked up, "Natsu will be coming around tomorrow. He said he wanted to see you since it's been a while and all. Are you free?"

Masa remembered her meeting with her new assistant. She was pretty sure Suzuki scheduled the meeting in the afternoon inside Masa's studio. She turned back to face her sister and shook her head. "Sorry, I have a meeting after school."

Meiji gave her a sad smile, "Look at you, Masa. You're already earning more money then I have and you're going to meetings too." The smile was replaced with a teasing grin as Meiji moved to pinch Masa's cheek, ignoring the wails of pain.

The woman let go and patted her sister's head, "Just do your best then and don't overwork yourself!"

Masa smiled, "I know."

* * *

The next day, Kise seemed to be in a really good mood. He was very energetic when he ran over to explain to Masa what his practice routine was going to be for the day. She was surprised but only smiled in nodded in reply to his chatter. After a while the blond got dragged back to the court by Kasamatsu.

"I'll talk to you later then, Shintanicchi!" Kise managed to say before a cry of pain escaped his lips as Kasamatsu pulled him by the ear.

Masa waved at him as he left. Kise always had a smile on his face whenever she saw him and it always made her wonder why. Was basketball really that fun to him? She was really beginning to wonder when didn't the boy have a smile on his face. It could be because he has such good friends like Kuroko who seemed to care about him enough to politely ask her to watch out for the model.

Masa couldn't help but a feel a little jealous. She didn't have that many friends and besides the basketball team there was only one other person that knew about her life as 'Usui Nagisa'. That was Ai, her best friend ever since elementary school. Ai encouraged her a lot to make a manga debut, saying that it was 'important to follow your dream'. There was also someone who was two years older then her that lived in the same neighbourhood as her who was the one who first brought up the idea. Masa was glad that Ai and that boy was around because if it wasn't for them then she probably would have never even debuted.

She was grateful to the Kaijo basketball team too. They were her inspiration for her new series that was beginning to gain plenty of attention. She owed them a lot and Masa made sure to mentally put down a note to repay them back somehow. Masa stared at the clock on the wall. It was almost time for the meeting.

She didn't want to leave but it was an important meeting. Masa's grip on her belongings tightened as she made her way to the coach, telling him her reason of leaving at the start of the practice.

"Sounds important. Go ahead, it's important to attend all meetings involving your work." The coach said with a nod.

The brunette bowed a farewell and made her way towards the exit. She looked over her shoulder one more time and met yellow eyes from across the court. Masa gave him a little bow of the head and mouthed a 'goodbye' before leaving the building.

Kise stood still as he watched her leave. He couldn't remember any reason to why Masa would leave early. Was she done with the whole inspiration thing? The blond turned to Kasamatsu who was beside him, "Senpai, why is Shintanicchi leaving early?"

"I heard from the coach just before it was because she had a meeting." Kasamatsu replied before jogging off with the ball.

Kise gazed over at the exit one more time. "Manga artists sure have it tough." He noted. Kise spun around to walk back to the game and his eyes looked around the area. The model noticed a familiar book lying on top of the bench and he recognised it to be the one that Masa was always carrying around. Kise jogged over to pick it up and he was right. It really was her sketch book since it had her name written on it.

"That's not good, she forgot it. Kise, I'll give you her address so you can go drop it off after practice." His coach appeared to his side.

Nodding, Kise dropped the book gently back down on the bench, afraid it would get ripped and jumped back into the practice match.

* * *

Nozume Yuu was a big fan of Usui Nagisa. Sure, reading shoujo manga was something that didn't really look good with him but he couldn't help reading her stories. They were just that good. So, when he heard that she wasn't going to be drawing any more series for the magazine he felt extremely disappointed. He was anticipating a new release that was ten times better then the previous series.

What he didn't expect was for her to move to the Shonen magazine with a whole new series that was nothing like her previous work. It was a basketball manga that followed the life of a red-head, gaudy looking teen that seemed to be somewhat of a tsundere. Nozume found it absolutely fantastic. He expected much from his favourite artist.

So, when he applied to be a assistant at the magazine were she worked he was really nervous. He went through an interview and now finally made it to the last stage where had to actually meet the artist he was going to be working with if he got the job. Nozume was also really excited to meet his idol. He began drawing when he was sixteen and had already two years of experience under his belt. He was just hoping that it would be enough to satisfy Usui-sensei.

Nozume was currently walking down an empty road. It was not busy and he was surrounded by homes that gave off a cheerful feeling. He remembered playing at a close by park when he was younger around here. It was nostalgic. He brushed his blond bangs to the side of his face so he could read the piece of paper better. Nozume would most definitely die from embarrassment if he came late.

Nozume patted his hair at the back down. It was black unlike his bangs. He had dyed his bangs to look more refreshing but all it did was make him look like some bad boy. Teachers were always watching him closely thinking he was going to break something but he never did. Dying one's hair doesn't make them a delinquent.

The teen shook his head. He had to focus on the meeting. Nozume was going to meet his inspiration after all. He cautiously patted his hair down again. Was she going to think he was some kind of delinquent if he went in with his current hairstyle? Just thinking about it made him want to run to the hair salon to dye it all black again, but it was too late.

Nozume was now standing in front of the apartment complex that had Usui-sensei's studio in it. He gaped at the tall building. Anxiousness began to run through him as he continued to gaze up at it. His dream of being an assistant could disappear in one shot if he didn't make a good impression.

Nozume stood firm and sucked in some air. He slapped both his cheeks lightly before making his way into the building. The first thing that came into his head was that it looked expensive. He was just in the lobby but he could tell that the people living here were some high-earning adults. Usui-sensei gained a lot of popularity with her previous series so it made sense that she would be working in a place like this.

Stepping into the elevator, Nozume clicked on the eight and waited patiently as it went up. As each floor passed he could feel his nervousness really start to plummet. His hands began to sweat and he had to wipe them on his school pants constantly. This wasn't good.

The elevator stopped at the eighth floor and Nozume stepped out. He looked down at the piece of paper and looked to find the right numbered door. He stopped in front of the one which had 'Usui' on it's name plate and took another big breath in. This was it. Nozume knocked on the door and it seemed like every second he had to wait was like the moment someone knew they were going to die.

"Ah, here he is now." A woman's voice was heard from inside. He knew it was Suzuki, Usui-sensei's editor.

Nozume heard a click from the other side and the door was finally opened. Suzuki was standing before him with her usual grin on her face. "Usui-sensei is inside and has been waiting for you, Nozume-kun." She informed him.

The teen nodded and went in, taking his shoes off and muttering an 'excuse me'. Every step his heart beat went faster that when he was just about to reach the living room he thought his heart would jump out of his chest. He was really going to meet Usui Nagisa.

To his surprise, there was a young girl who was younger then he was standing next to the coffee table. She had brown hair and matching brown eyes. Her hair was in a pony tail and she was still in her uniform. Nozume recognised it. It was from Kaijo High.

She bowed, "I-I'm Usui Nagisa. My real name is Shintani Masa though…"

Nozume was honestly shocked. He didn't expect her to be so young. Especially not younger then he was. He snapped back into reality when Suzuki slapped his back. "Well, aren't you going to introduce yourself?" She reminded him.

"A-Ah. I'm Nozume Yuu, it will be a pleasure working with you from here on out." Nozume introduced flushed. He was screwed. He was hoping he didn't seem rude to the artist. Even if she someone completely different from he imagined she was still the one who created his favourite series.

Masa awkwardly nodded back at him. Nozume gulped. Suzuki clapped in glee, "Now, isn't he a good kid? Masa what do you think? Are you going to keep him around as an assistant?"

Nozume's black eyes looked back at Masa. After such a rude reaction he wouldn't blame her for not hiring him.

Instead, she only smiled softly at him. "I'm really glad to have someone else helping me out. Thanks for applying." Masa said.

It was like all the weight on his shoulder disappeared. He really got accepted and it wasn't a dream. He was going to be working alongside his idol. It was a dream come true.

Suddenly, a phone began to ring and he noticed Masa jumping in surprise at her own ringtone. She shoved her hand into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out her phone. The brunette stared at the screen for a bit before a expression of pure shock appeared on her face. Was there something bad going on?

"I have to get going, Suzuki-san, Nozume-san." She bowed her heads towards the two before dashing out of the apartment.

Suzuki laughed as she watched and Nozume only wondered what was going on. Suzuki seemed to notice how confused he was and grinned, "Usui-sensei lives with her family and she only stays here when she's dead tired from working. Oh, and don't tell anyone her real name or her true identity."

Nozume nodded slowly. Well, that made sense if it was family related why she ran out all of a sudden. His admiration for her increased slightly at the fact she could balance her school life as well as her packed life as a manga artist. If he were in her place then he would have already been dead by now.

"So, what do you think about the true Usui-sensei?" Suzuki asked, wiggling her eyebows.

Nozume thought a bit before answering, "She seems like a very kind person."

* * *

Masa had no idea what was going on. She was now panting deeply in an attempt to regain her breath after running all the way back home. Meiji was standing in front of her with a huge smirk on her face whilst Natsu was smiling at her too. They were in the living room and she couldn't help but notice a familiar blond classmate was also there.

"Kise-san was kind enough to bring over your sketch book after you left it at the gym." Meiji told her, smirk never leaving her beautiful face.

Masa turned to Kise and apologized, "I'm sorry for the both, Kise-kun."

Kise waved a hand around, "No, it's fine!"

This was why she had to run out of her meeting. Meiji decided to kindly message her to inform her that Kise had dropped by to give back her sketch book which she stupidly forgot. Her sister loved doing this kind of thing. Meiji made Kise stay and told him that she would be back soon, interrogating him. Natsu had a smile on his face but it really didn't look like a happy one. He was glaring at Kise a lot and Masa knew it wasn't because of her sister. It was because Kise knew her and attended the same school as well. This was not good.

"Sorry for randomly dropping by." Kise said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Meiji crossed her arms coolly. "Why don't you stay for dinner? Our parents are on a trip right now and Natsu would probably get lonely if he was the only guy around." A sparkly smiled made it's way onto the woman's face.

Masa looked back and forth from Kise and Meiji. A part of her was hoping he wouldn't accept but she also felt that dinner would be a nice way of repaying him for returning her sketch book.

"Think of it as repayment." Meiji was thinking the same thing but she actually said it.

Kise smiled back handsomely, "Thanks a lot!"

Meiji laughed, "No problem!" She then went into the kitchen to prepare their meal.

Masa was left standing there with Natsu and Kise. Natsu was glaring at the male teen who seemed completely oblivious to it. Masa thought of just playing along and pretending she didn't notice the angry aura that surrounded Natsu, but that didn't exactly work out.

"So, Kise… By any chance are you dating Masa-chan?" Natsu asked with a deadly smile.

Masa flushed. Dinner wasn't going to be all that good.

* * *

**A/N: I finally wrote. Now, that I'm looking at this chapter I feel that my writing has improved. Has it? Ahaha! Thanks for reading! I had to re-upload this chapter since all the html stuff appeared gosh.**

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**REVIEWS ARE SEXY.**

**LONGER REVIEWS ARE SEXY.**

**DO IT FOR MORIYAMA (even tho he didn****'****t appear)**


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